AFRIKAANS BASIC WORD LIST

SESSION 1

**I am not a linguist, and some of my interpretation of words and pronunciation may not be totally accurate.**
Notes

 I carefully drew up this word list to help me learn basic Afrikaans, so maybe it can save you some time doing so
 Pronunciation notes are given in blue
 I practised this list once a week, starting off with a number of words that I felt comfortable with from the top of the list, e.g. the
first 10. I found it is best to take it slowly and that way build in success!
 Each week I added some new words to learn from further down the list.
 To practice I covered the right-hand column, and filled in the centre column translation while saying the word. Then at the end I
checked all my answers were correct.
 Someone who was familiar with the language sat with me while I practiced to check my pronunciation was correct! They also
helped me practice phrases and words and made it fun.
 I used a short Youtube video which was freely available to teach me how to pronounce each letter and sound in the language and
help me practice greetings and common expressions. I used these in conjunction with this list to help me learn common
expressions and correct pronunciation of the words on my list.
 For further words to learn see Afrikaans Basic Word List Session 2

English I Try Afrikaans

Warm (translate to English) Hot / Warm pron. as one syllable don’t emphasise the ‘r.’
Word Woord (pron. voort)
Work Werk pron. Verrk
Look Kyk, Sien (pron cake, sin)
With Met
Baby elephant Olifantkalf (pron karlf). A small elephant is an Olifantjie
Tree, Trees, Small Tree Boom (pron. booerm like oo in kroon = crown), Bome (pron. boermer, the erm sound is shorter
than in boom), Boompie (pron. booermpee)
Daughter, Daughters Dogter, Dogters
Make Maak (maak is pron. ‘mark’)
She has two sons Sy het twee seuns (in Afrikaans y is pronounced as in the ay in
English ‘Stay’)
Farmer, Farmers Boer (pron. bo-er), Boere (pron boerra)
Small lion Leeutjie
Lion cub Leeuwelpie
For Vir (pron. fur)
A boer make a plan ‘n Boer maak ‘n plan. When the sentence starts with ('n) the word is
not capitalized, but the next word is.
Middag Midday, Afternoon
See Sien (pron sin), Kyk (pron cake)
Spider, Spiders Spinnekop, Spinnekoppe pron Spinn-a-kop, Spinn-a-kop-pa
Mooi Nice, Pretty (pron. moy) Mooi has other meanings too
Dit This, It
Morning (several words) Oggend, Mo’re
Elephant, Elephants Olifant, Olifante (pron o-lifanta)
Cows Koeie (pron koeiya)
Calf Kalf (pron karlf)
Lions Leeus
It is cheap Dit is goedkoop pron. goed (with guttural g and d pron as ‘t’)-kooerp
It is expensive to buy Dit is duurkoop
It is nice (if regarding taste) Dit is lekker soft roll on the ‘r’
I am very hot Ek is baie warm pron. as one syllable don’t emphasise the ‘r.’
Noun (a noun is the Naamwoord (pron. narm-voort)
names for people, places, or
things, e.g. nurse, bathroom, mat,
lion).
Verb (a verb describes the Werkwoord (pron. Verrk-voort)
action in the sentence, e.g. eat, sit,
to be, understand, speak).
This is a girl Dit is ‘n meisie (pron. macey)
To have Hê (the ê is pron as in English Hair)
Doen Do, Doing, Did, Done (pron like Doon but the oe is a shorter sound)
Look what you are doing Kyk wat jy doen
I’ll see you tomorrow Ek sien jou môre (ô is pronounced ‘or’ as in English ‘Cause’)
I’ll see you in the morning Ek sien jou in oggend, in = ‘in’ in English, oggend = morning. This is
the only way of saying it.
Ice Ys
Can Kan
Not Nie (pron as in knee). Must end the sentence with Nie, and it
always appears twice, e.g.: “Ek is nie stout nie, I am not naughty.”
Bridge, Bridges Brug, pron with guttural g, Brûe, pron. brer with soft rolled ‘r’s – this
is an ‘er’ sound as in English ‘Urn.’
Kan nie Cannot / could not
Find Vind (pron. fint)
Op On, Onto (can also be used for At or To)
Cat, Cats Kat, Katte pron. kata
Kitten Katjie pron. kye-key
What are you doing? Wat doen jy?
Tyd Time, Tense (regarding language, not as in “I am feeling tense”)
Past Verlede
Past Tense Verlede tyd. Verlede = Past, Tyd = Time, Tense
Do not Moenie pron moo-nie with 2 syllables (sentences that Moenie is
used in end with Nie)